In 2023, life expectancy at birth in the EU was 81.4 years, marking an increase of 0.8 years compared to 2022. After decreasing in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy reached higher values than in 2019. This was also the highest total value recorded since 83,220 years2, according to Eurostat.
Women expected to live 5.3 years longer
For women in the EU, life expectancy at birth reached 84.0 years in 2023 (up by 0.7 compared with 2022 and the same value as in 2019) and for men at 78.7 years (+0.8 compared with 2022 and +0.2 compared with 2019).
In 2023, life expectancy at birth for women was 5.3 years longer than that for men, with variations between EU countries. In Latvia, women were expected to live 10.1 years longer than men, followed by Lithuania (9.0 years) and Estonia (8.8 years).
The smallest gender gaps were in the Netherlands (3.0 years), and Sweden and Luxembourg (both 3.3 years).